| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
From the same family as Enclos Tourmaline, the rising superstar from the ex-winemaker at La Violette and Le Gay, comes Tour St Christophe a St Emilion located between Troplong Mondot and Tertre Roteboeuf.
The 2016 Tour Saint-Christophe is made up of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. It was aged in 40% new, 40% one-year-old and 20% two-year-old oak for 18 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it sings of roses, chocolate-covered cherries, redcurrant jelly and cinnamon stick with touches of cigar box and forest floor. Big, full-bodied and richly fruited yet with great tension, it has a compellingly perfumed palate and gorgeous velvety texture with great persistence. 5,000 cases produced. 2021 - 2044
This has a rich and ripe dark-fruit nose with a wealth of stony attraction and a lighter, floral edge. The palate has a very rich core of deeply ripe, fleshy fruit, framed in cedary oak. Really impressive clarity and web-like tannins. Superb finish. Try from 2023.
This incredibly beautiful estate was purchased by Peter Kwok, a Hong Kong-based financier, in 2012. The estate covers a tiny 6.5 hectares (some terraced) just down from Château Barde-Haut, and it remains one of the hidden gems in just about every vintage. The 2016 Château Tour Saint Christophe is another winner. Composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in 40% new French oak, this concentrated, structured 2016 is one for the cellar. It offers a deep ruby/purple color and a powerful array of black fruits, graphite, and earthy minerality as well as a hint of salinity and spring flowers. It has fine tannins (but plenty of them), beautiful balance, and a straight, focused texture, all pointing to the cellar being your friend. Hide bottles of 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 15-20. Tasted twice. Drink 2023-2043.
The fruit feels ripe the nose has sweetness the palate starts with a rich mix of black and red fruits. Fine tannins support the mid palate has richness and depth the back palate lighter bright and fresh. 2025-35
The 2016 Tour Saint-Christophe, the Saint Emilion estate of Peter Kwok whose eye-catching terraced vineyard looks upon Barde-Haut from the other side of the valley, is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc picked between 5-23 October and matured in 40% new oak. It has a sensual bouquet with black cherries and cassis scents, the new oak neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet and supple tannin, a little richer than the 2015 and yet still managing to translate the terroir with aplomb. Tasted twice, one bottle showed a little more precision than the other, but I remain confident that this will turn into a Saint Emilion worth investigating.
Drink Date 2023 - 2040
This is superb: a triumph for the vintage considering how complicated it was in St.-Emilion. Elegance with power. Full-bodied, intense and forthright. Wonderful length and depth. Better than the 2015.
